Google rolls out UPI-linked Flex credit card in India to expand consumer credit access
By embedding lending into Google Pay, the company is testing whether the payments scale can unlock mass-market credit.
Google is pushing deeper into consumer finance in India with the launch of a UPI-linked credit card, betting on a market where fewer than 50 million people hold a credit card despite a population of more than 1.4 billion.
This week, the company unveiled Flex by Google Pay, a co-branded credit card developed with private lender Axis Bank. The card is built around India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI), the real-time payments system that reshaped how people move money, but hasn't yet translated into widespread access to credit.
Google’s bet is simple. If lending is embedded inside an app millions of Indians already use every day, more users may be pulled into the formal credit system.
How Flex by Google Pay Works (Video credit: Google)
Flex by Google Pay is issued digitally through the Google Pay app and works both online and in physical stores. It runs on India’s government-backed RuPay network and includes a rewards program that credits users with Stars on transactions, with each Star worth one rupee. The app also lets users track spending, manage bills, convert balances into installments, and control security features such as blocking the card or resetting a PIN.
The launch builds on Google Pay’s broader push into credit in India. The platform already partners with banks and non-bank lenders to offer personal loans and gold-backed credit. For Google, teaming up with Axis Bank opens access to a digitally active, UPI-native audience. For Axis, the partnership offers a way to scale credit distribution without relying on physical branches.
Google says it plans to add more issuer partners over time, expanding the co-branded card program and further weaving lending into its payments ecosystem.
The takeaway
Flex highlights how major tech platforms are turning payment apps into full financial services hubs. In India, where digital payments are ubiquitous but credit access remains limited, this approach could bring millions more users into the credit economy. More broadly, it reflects a global shift. Tech companies are no longer just facilitating transactions. They're now positioning themselves as the front door to lending, rewards, and everyday financial management.
Damilare Odedina
